The release of water from Narayanpur dam in Yadgir district of Karnataka to Jurala reservoir in Jogulamba-Gadwal district, which commenced on the night of May 8, to meet the drinking water needs of combined Mahabubnagar district was stopped on Sunday morning.
According to information received by the engineers of Jurala project, the two spillway gates from which the water was being discharged were closed at 8 a.m. on Sunday. The water release which started on Wednesday night at the rate of 500 cusecs was increased to over 2,000 cusecs on Thursday morning and to over 8,000 cusecs after 2 p.m. that day. It was increased further to about 10,000 cusecs on the morning of May 10.
An Irrigation Department official stated that the water released from Narayanpur reached Gugal barrage, located about 110 km downstream of Narayanpur, in the early hours of Sunday. The authorities there released the water downstream after noon on Sunday and it has to travel for 20 km to reach Girjapur barrage also in Karnataka and for another 50 km to reach Jurala.
It would take one day for the water to reach Jurala after it is released from Girjapur barrage. Sources said they were expecting the water to reach Jurala either late on Monday night. or in the early hours of Tuesday. The yield at Jurala, however, would be known only after it reaches the destination after seepage and evaporation losses and tapping en route from Narayanpur.
It may recalled that the Karnataka Government, Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited, in its order dated May 9 approved release of 2.5 tmcft water to Telangana from Almatti through Narayanpur. Accordingly, water release from Almatti to Narayanpur was commenced on May 4.